What kinds of intestinal parasites can my pet have?

Nearly all dogs and cats get worms at some point in their lives. The good news is that proper veterinary care can control these parasites. Medicines are available to remove the worms and, in most cases, reduce the risk of another infestation. By following your veterinarian’s advice, you can protect your pet and your family from these potentially harmful parasites.

ROUNDWORMS: Nearly all puppies and kittens have roundworms. In many areas of the country, up to 70% of adult dogs are also infected.

How Pets Get Roundworms: Infection usually begins when your pet accidentally swallows roundworm eggs in the soil. These eggs hatch into tiny worms that move from your pet’s intestine to its liver and lungs, then back to the intestine where they mature. The adult roundworm lays eggs that are passed in your pet’s stool to the soil. Female dogs and cats can also pass roundworms to unborn and nursing puppies and kittens.

Signs of Roundworm Infection: Left untreated, roundworms can cause a potbelly and diarrhea. Vomiting, rough coat and poor growth are other signs. Some animals show no signs of infection. Roundworms can infect people with children being at highest risk. Roundworm infection is a leading cause of pediatric retinal blindness. Humans contract the disease by touching their mouths with hands contaminated by roundworm eggs.

How to Prevent Roundworms: Take puppies and kittens to your veterinarian at an early age. Follow your veterinarian’s advice on treatment and follow up visits. Make sure you do annual fecal examinations on all of your pets. Ask your veterinarian about monthly heartworm preventative medications that can also remove roundworms and reduce the risk of another infestation. Always clean up your pet’s stool to reduce soil contamination. Wash hands after working in soil that might be contaminated or the litter box. Instruct children to routinely wash their hands after playing with pets or outside.

HOOKWORMS: Hookworms are tiny, threadlike parasites that affect puppies and kittens as well as adult animals. They are a particular problem in areas with warm, moist sandy soil.

How Pets Get Hookworms: The cycle begins when hookworm eggs are passed in a dog or cat’s stool to the soil. Your pet can swallow the young hookworms or they can penetrate its skin, usually through the feet. Like roundworms, hookworms can be passed from mothers to their young. Hookworms present a risk to humans if larvae (young hookworms) in the soil contact the skin, resulting in painful sores.

Signs of Hookworm Infection: Hookworms feed on blood and tissue by piercing the intestinal lining with tooth-like hooks. As a result, hookworms can cause severe blood loss. As few as 100 hookworms can kill a puppy. Animals with heavy infection often have bloody diarrhea. Other signs include anemia, dehydration, and apparent weakness. Some animals show no signs of infection.

How to Prevent Hookworms: Take puppies and kittens to your veterinarian at an early age. Follow your veterinarian’s advice on treatment and follow up visits. Make sure you do annual fecal examinations on all of your pets. Ask your veterinarian about monthly heartworm preventative medications that can also remove hookworms and reduce the risk of another infestation. To kill hookworms in your yard, use sodium borate (1.0 lbs per 100 square feet). Clean up stool before they can break down in the soil. Wash hands before eating. This is especially important for children.

WHIPWORMS: Dogs confined to small, outside areas are at highest risk of having whipworms.

How Pets Get Whipworms: Whipworm infection occurs when your pet swallows whipworm eggs. After hatching in the small intestine, whipworm larvae move to the large intestine where they mature. Here, adult worms lay eggs that are passed in your pet’s stool to contaminate the soil.

Signs of Whipworm Infection: Light infections of whipworms are difficult to diagnose, but they can lead to more serious problems. Large numbers of whipworms irritate the lining of your pet’s intestines, causing weight loss and pain. Watery, bloody stools may result. Severe infections can cause life-threatening dehydration and anemia. Whipworms are not dangerous to people, but once animals get infected whipworms are difficult to eliminate without medication programs.

How to Prevent Whipworms: To protect your pet from whipworms after your veterinarian’s treatment: if your dog returns to the same infected ground, treatments will be required every 3 months. A new site is preferred. If your pet lives in a pen with a washable surface, sanitize the area before returning your dog to its quarters. Ask your veterinarian about monthly heartworm preventative medications that can also remove whipworms and reduce the risk of another infestation. Daily clean up stools.

COCCIDIA: Coccidia are small organisms that infect pets, most often those in kennels, pet stores or wherever animals live together.​How Pets Get Coccidia: Adult coccidia in an infected pet will pass tiny egg-like organisms called “oocysts” in the animal’s stool. These oocysts are accidentally eaten by your pet. The oocysts break open in the intestine and release new organisms which move to the intestinal wall. There these new organisms multiply rapidly and become either new oocysts to be passed out with the stool or they return to another cell and multiply. Your infected pet is both increasing the number of internal coccidia organisms and contaminating the environment at the same time.

Signs of Coccidia Infection: When they reproduce, coccidia destroy your pet’s intestinal cells. Signs include bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain, listlessness, dehydration, and weight loss. Some animals show no outward sign of infection. As with all intestinal parasites, puppies and kittens are most at risk. Coccidia are not considered a risk for humans.

How to Prevent Coccidia: Clean up stools. Although no preventatives exist, your veterinarian can prescribe medications to clear up coccidia infection. Sanitize the litter box or dog kennel.

TAPEWORMS: Tapeworms are common intestinal parasites in dogs and cats. The most common tapeworm is transmitted to them through fleas.

How Pets Get Tapeworms: Your pet becomes infected with tapeworms by eating fleas or prey (such as rabbits and mice) that carry tapeworm larvae. Adult tapeworms live in your pet’s intestine and release segments filled with eggs in the stool. Tapeworm eggs are often consumed by fleas, making them carriers.

Signs of Tapeworm Infection: Tapeworms irritate your pet’s intestine and reduce food absorption. Often, tapeworm infections are diagnosed by seeing white rice-like segments near a pet’s rear end. They can also cause pets to scoot or itch at their rectum. Tapeworms can be passed on to humans (by accidentally eating an infected flea), but they don’t pose a significant human threat.

How to Prevent Tapeworms: Use a monthly flea preventative as part of a total flea control program. If your pet hunts or is exposed to fleas, look regularly for tapeworm segments in your pet’s stool and around their rectum. Ask your veterinarian about monthly heartworm preventative medications that can also remove tapeworms and reduce the risk of another infestation.